THE LAST NOEL

As I stared at this space wondering what to write, "he First Noel" began playing on Pandora on my computer. There truly was that first Christmas. Listening, I am hearing about the announcement made to those poor shepherds, "Born is the King!," about a star lit night, about the wise men who had been following the star soon coming to the King. What a time it must have been-that first Noel-from the time Jesus entered this world as an infant in a stable, to the soon to follow announcement that brought the humble shepherds to gaze upon Him, to the later day when the wise men finally arrived with their gifts. There was the very first Christmas, the First Noel. But, what struck me as the word "First" grabbed the reigns of my mind was the simple thought that, as certainly as there was a First Noel, there will be a Last Noel. It is impossible that any of us should have been at the First Noel. But, could it be that we will be living to celebrate the Last Noel? Could this be our Last Noel? I'm not asking in the morbid reality sense of could it be the Last Noel because we may die next year. I am asking could it be the Last Noel because this coming year the King could appear the second time. Perhaps, even when He returns we will continue to celebrate His birthday, still have Christmas. If so, this could still be the Last Noel as we know it. It could be the last dominated by commercial infringement, the last where every attempt is made to edit out the Christ, the last celebrated with riotous drinking and surfeiting, the last marred by later credit card bills. As we with wonder celebrate the First Noel, may we also contemplate the possibility that this could be the Last Noel. We may have not been on earth at the King's first coming. But, we just well may be at His second. The Last Noel.